"Only a moment: a moment of strength, of romance, of glamour---of youth..."

That circa 1902 quotation could well underscore the theme of Savannah's newest walking tour THE ROMANCE OF SAVANNAH. The use of the word, romance here speaks not just of love but rather to that rare mystique that is Savannah..... ....that behind these monuments, statues and stately homes dotting the city's moss-draped squares are little-known fascinating backstories that tell of strength, romance and glamour as the quotation suggests, but the also stories of bravery, courage, talent and ingenuity that cause the lives of these Savannahians to play out on the national and international stage. Come and wander along with me on an abridged virtual Romance of Savannah Tour and see if you might want to learn more on our 1 and 1/2 hour romance walking tour given Sunday, Monday and Wednesday (weather permitting) at 1:30 p.m. The tour begins appropriately at JOHNSON SQUARE, the first and largest of the squares that Oglethorpe laid out in 1733. The centerpiece of the Square is the monument to General Nathanael Greene, second in command to George Washington during the Revolutionary War . A heroic man to be sure, but our interest lies with his petite, attractive wife, Caty, who although much admired by the great leaders of the War, also possessed intelligence, courage and was the driving force behind one of the South's best known inventions. On to REYNOLDS SQUARE and a look-see at the statue of the Reverend John Wesley, a man who came to Savannah with honest intentions, but whose rigid piousness caused him to leave the colony in a most secretive fashion! The next stop is WARREN SQUARE, home to one of the secret, clandestine schools that taught black children how to read and write prior to the Civil War, and the story of a young black slave girl who was taught at this school and went on to distinguish herself during and after the Civil War. We're moving south now to COLUMBIA SQUARE and the Davenport House, saved from demolition by seven intrepid women who sparked the re-birth of the historic city. But within this Federal-style home lies not only the bittersweet love story of the lovely daughter, Cornelia Davenport, but also the story of the determination and courage of her mother, Sarah, that impressed even General William Sherman. Just around the corner is the outstanding Owens/Thomas House in OGLETHORPE SQUARE, which reveals the tragic rise and fall of the young entrepreneur Richard Richardson who commissioned the English Regency style home.Time to take a peek inside the stunning SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL and learn the story of Father Whelan and his famous bread that he took to the Union Prisoners to keep them alive at the horrible Andersonville Prison. Now it's just a few steps to LAFAYETTE SQUARE where the Low House offers up the story of Andrew Low, an English subject who was the wealthiest man in Savannah at the time but who also engaged in espionage at the outset of the Civil War. His son Willie would later live in the house with his wife, Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girls Scouts. (And... there's much more intrigue to their story.) Our last stop is nearby MADISON SQUARE and now 'tis time to sit a spell on the benches in this lovely square and hear the many stories behind the historic Sorrel/Weed and Green/Meldrim houses. Within these two houses is a series of stories of espionage, Civil War bravery and unbelievable stories of the very independent young women who lived in these houses.

SAVANNAH AND THE CIVIL WAR TOUR" I beg to present to you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton." So wrote General Sherman to President Abraham Lincoln upon his entrance to Savannah, December, 1864.

This tour allows one to walk the very streets and see the homes where Generals Lee and Sherman walked and stayed. One sees Sherman's headquarters while in Savannah, as well as the homes of Confederate officers who would go on to higher callings after the end of the WarFind out who was in the last picture taken of General Lee before he died and what unlikely Confederate general was an honorary pallbearer at William Sherman's funeral. This tour is offered Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (weather permitting)

Note: "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is set to debut as a Broadway musical in January, 2014. Join us for a special "Midnight at Twilight" walking tour at 6 p.m. Fri. & Sat. (Minerva, the VooDoo Priestess would no doubt remind us that the half-hour before sunset is for doing good; the half-hour after sunset for evil.)As dark settles over the Low Country and the shadows lengthen, we casually stroll under the moss draped oaks for an up close and personal look into one of the most interesting and infamous episodes in Savannah's modern history.